The Locked Book and the Karakuri Puppet
by RulerOfRuins
Summary: Hakaba moved from Japan to America for college. There he discovers a locked book and upon solving the lock he discovers a small child who claims to be a "mamodo". And from this chance meeting he is drafted into a war for the title of Mamodo King. He now has to take up arms but defending his own life may not be enough. "7.8/10 Too much implied Japanese." -IGN
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Locked Book

* * *

 _"Hey, Leon. Want to come with us to the cafe?"_

Hakaba looked up as his fellow students walked up to him.

 _"...What kind of cafe?"_

 _"Royal Aroma. It's really popular with the girls."_

 _"No thanks. I'll pass."_ Hakaba said as he got up, _"I have things to do."_

 _"Like what?"_

 _"Mostly homework."_

 _"You're pretty nerdy aren't you?"_ His classmate laughed, _"Alright. Suit yourself."_

* * *

As Hakaba walked home from school, he passed by the Royal Aroma cafe and stopped to glance inside. It was a small shop but kept busy with cliques of girls that he recognized from his school. Looking at the menu and prices and slowly translating what was on sale, the prices seemed fair enough. For a moment he considered going inside. Turning his attention back to the cafe, he passed his eyes over table after table of foreigners. And he walked off.

It has been a year since Hakaba had moved from Japan to America. He had decided to go to an American college for his education and for all intents and purposes, he was doing well enough. Still, there was a nagging sense of homesickness that he couldn't shake off. Hakaba couldn't remember the last time he ever used Japanese. But he didn't want to return to Japan. For one he didn't have the money. For another, his parents were very enthusiastic in sending him off.

 _DONG!_

Hakaba jumped as a clock began to chime right next to him. It repeated itself 3 times, marking the time as 3:00 before settling down. It was an old grandfather clock complete with a compartment for the swinging pendulum. Taking a step back, Hakaba looked up at the store that the grandfather clock stood in front of. It was an antique store. Newly opened as Hakaba didn't remember there being one here every other time he walked home. Inside there were shelves and displays of various trinkets but there were even more shelves. All of them filled with books. Curious, Hakaba walked inside.

* * *

 _"_ _Welcome!"_ The storekeeper grinned as Hakaba walked in, _"Looking for something?"_

 _"Not particularly."_ He answered.

 _"_ _Alright then. Take your time."_

Clearly not yet fully settled in, the shopkeeper returned to moving and opening boxes behind his counter.

Walking around the store, Hakaba passed over the antique trinkets. There were mostly a few carved, wooden clocks although Hakaba stopped to stare at what looked to be a mechanical deer chaser. Another shelf were fully of antique dolls of varying creepiness. Noting one with a pull cord, Hakaba picked it up and gave the cord a pull only for the doll's head to pop off. Hakaba quickly put the head back on and returned it to the shelf.

Moving onto the bookshelves, there were quite a few American classics that he remembered his literature teacher referencing. There were even books from other languages, including Russian, German and Arabic. Curious, Hakaba looked around until he found a small section of Japanese books. Taking comfort in the familiar characters, he recognized most of the titles on there as children stores. Hakaba sighed. He was being nostalgic but not that nostalgic. He had hoped that there would be something with a more novel plot. Looking around the shelf one more time, he spotted a spine with no title on it. Unable to restrain his curiosity again, he pulled the book out and to his surprise, found a book bound with metal and gears. There was a mechanical lock preventing the book from opening and the only words on it were in characters that Hakaba realized came from no language being used today.

 _"_ _Excuse me."_ Hakaba turned to the shopkeeper, _"About this book..."_

 _"Oh. That book."_ The shopkeeper walked up to him with a furrowed brow, _"It came from Japan but for all I can tell it's not in Japanese. The lock took me a long time to undo with trial and error and when I opened it up it was blank save for one page with more words I didn't recognize."_

 _"Really?"_

 _"Yeah. Now I'm selling it as a novelty puzzle diary. If you can figure out the lock that is."_

 _"So you're not going to tell me the answer?"_

 _"To be honest, I forgot the answer."_ The shopkeeper chuckled sheepishly, _"It was a long time ago and I don't have time to_ _trial and error it again."_

 _"Hmm..."_

 _"If you want it, I'll give it to you for a discount."_

* * *

Hakaba returned to his apartment with the locked book in hand. Part of him was still unsure of why he had bought the book but he needed something to distract himself from his homesickness anyway. Taking a better look along the entire cover, he could see what looked to be runes or something scrawled all over the metallic bindings. Turning to the lock itself, he recognized the same symbols on a display and a disk beneath it. From the appearance of the disk, he guessed there were 10 different distinct characters. There was a marker on the disk with a window, resting over a blank space. Taking hold of it and dragging it along the disk's edge, Hakaba pulled it to one of the strange characters and let it go. A sound of gears spinning and wound wires resounded as the marker pulled itself back up to the blank spot and one of the display's characters changed to the one he had highlighted with the marker.

 _"_ _So it's like rotary phone?"_ Hakaba frowned as he tried it again with similar results.

Turning to the display again, he noticed another marker on it that he could drag to highlight another character. Pulling the disk's marker again, the new character that he had highlighted on the display changed to the one he inputted. Pulling the marker over the entire display, Hakaba concluded that there were 4 distinct characters that he could change.

 _"_ _4 positions. 10 characters."_ Hakaba muttered to himself.

Doing some quick math, and one more experiment, Hakaba recalled his Probability and Calculations class and concluded that the lock was a combination and there were 10,000 different possible combinations.

Wincing at the challenge ahead of him, Hakaba quickly did the obvious, putting in the same character for every slot on the display. None of them yielded results. Disheartened, he placed the book down again and sighed. He could trial and error it like the shopkeeper, sure, but he didn't have that much time to waste. If only he could tell what the characters meant. Putting the book aside for now, Hakaba pulled out his homework.

* * *

Lunch pulled around the next day and Hakaba brought the locked book. He hadn't have time to think about it since last night. Looking at the dial again and recalling how similar it was to a rotary phone, Hakaba hypothesized that the dial and characters were numbers. It seemed to fit. 0-9 would make 10 distinct characters. That still didn't tell him what would work and what wouldn't though.

 _"_ _Hey, Leon. What's that?"_

The classmate from yesterday walked up and looked at the locked book.

 _"_ _It's a book."_

 _"Are you trying to solve the lock?"_

 _"Yeah."_

 _"Neat. Mind if I take a look?"_

Hakaba handed the book over to him. His classmate frowned at the strange characters and looked around the book's covers for clues. He then picked at the lock, as he began to realize how it functioned.

 _"_ _So it's like those old phones."_ His classmate said as he took one last pass over the covers, _"Yeah, sorry. No idea what these characters are."_

 _"That's fine."_ Hakaba said as he took the book back, _"I_ _only got it yesterday so I'm not that far into solving it."_

 _"Well good luck then."_ His classmate shrugged and walked off.

Lunched passed with no progress and class began again though Hakaba was less keen on the lessons and note-taking and more focused on solving the book now. During Math class he tried thinking of a way to mathematically solve the puzzle. During literature he tried thinking of the characters as letters and pondered what kind of 4 letter words might work. The puzzle remained stuck in his mind as he left school that day, still unsolved.

* * *

In the days that followed, the book would remain shut as Hakaba gave in and tried systematic trial and error, noting down 10 combinations per day. He only made it to 50 combinations before he realized that the semester was coming to a close and that the finals were fast approaching. Once again pushing the book out of his mind, he buckled down and began to study for the finals.

The finals came and gone and with a small break afterward, Hakaba toyed with the puzzle some more until he enrolled in the next semester. The book would once again be forgotten as the next semester approached and Hakaba began new classes. Classes that would be the most important ones for his major. Biology and Chemistry were the most important ones he would begin taking but on a whim he had decided to take a History class to fill out his semester.

As the school year began he had to push the book out of mind but as he settled into his classes the book returned, taking up his desk and curiosity.

 _"_ _Leon."_

Hakaba jolted awake as his Biology teacher addressed him.

 _"_ _Class is over."_ His teacher said as he looked around at the departing students.

 _"_ _Sorry."_ Hakaba said as he put away his books, _"I'll be sure to pay attention next time."_

 _"_ _If that was true, that'd be great."_ The teacher sighed, _"You've been bringing that book in for a while, is it important to you?"_

Hakaba paused, _"...It's something I decided for myself."_

 _"_ _What does that mean?"_ The teacher frowned, _"Well, whatever. Just try to not fall asleep next class."_

Hakaba nodded and quickly left the classroom, locked book in his hand. As he walked to his next class, he studied the book again. He had felt something on the cover as he slept on it. Rubbing his finger around the display's cover, he located a small button on the side. Pressing down on it, the display's symbols changed to a new combination. Though the lock still won't bulge. Frowning, Hakaba put the book away and broke into a run towards his next class.

Before Hakaba knew it, a week had passed for his new semester and he wasn't faring well. His grades were dropping and the only development on the book was the fact that the button he had discovered seemed to reset the display to a certain combination though the symbols and their meaning remained a mystery to him. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he got off his bed and went to the locked book again. It had been disrupting his mind the entire week and he can't afford to slip up. If the book was what was getting in his way, he'll solve it and be done with it.

* * *

Pressing and resetting the display once more, Hakaba studied the symbols. Taking out a sheet of paper, he wrote down the symbols that the display recorded and made a copy of the 10 symbols on the dials. Returning to his number theory as a starting point, he attached a number to each of the symbols. 0-9, clockwise from the starting blank space. Like any modern lock. With that caveat, he tried translating the display's default symbols. 1470.

Hakaba stopped. Even with the assumptions he made, the translation could imply a cornucopia of ideas. Holding his head in his hands, he slowly regained his draining sanity and refocused on the puzzle. 1470. What meaning did that have to him?

…

Nothing. 1470 brought up nothing.

Digging into his bookbag for inspiration, he bought out his Biology textbook. The book was mechanical in nature. It was doubtful that it would be related to Biology. Placing the textbook on the floor, he pulled out another one. Chemistry? ...Maybe? Although he didn't think it would be wise to preform chemistry experiments on the book. Regardless it might hold a clue. Setting the book aside, he pulled out his remaining textbook. History.

1470\. A year?

Energized, Hakaba flipped through his book. 1470 was the start of the Anglo-Hanseatic War. 1470 was the year that the printing press was invented. There was significance in the year 1470 but nothing that really gave him any idea of what to input. Closing the history book, he tried to think of other possibilities.

 _"_ _It came from Japan..."_

Hakaba frowned. If the book came from Japan...what happened in 1470 in Japan?

…

The Sengoku Era.

It wasn't the start but it was certainly near the start of the Sengoku Era. Turning back to the book, he studied the symbols again, trying to see if they resembled anything from that wartorn era. Nothing came to mind regarding the symbols, but another bit of logic came to mind. 1470 was what the book choose but that's not what he needed to input. He needed to input something else. 1470 only held tangential relevance.

Scowling, Hakaba turned his thinking to other ideas. What could he put in?

…

Today's year?

With nothing else to go on, Hakaba turned to his questionable key and put together the symbols for today's year. With a sense of dissonance, he dialed the number in. With a sense of disbelief, the lock popped open.

* * *

Hakaba's mind raced as he checked, double checked and triple checked whenever or not he was actually seeing this. The lock was open. Immediately, he threw open the book and scoured the pages. Just as the shopkeeper had said, it was all empty. Turning back to the front, Hakaba found the symbols that the shopkeeper had also mentioned. The only thing written in the book. It was definitely similar to the symbols on the cover but for some reason they felt familiar. For a moment, Hakaba felt like he could read them.

"...Ze...kariki?"

The book suddenly burst out light from it's pages, nearly blinding Hakaba. Peering from between his fingers, he saw a form of what seemed to be a small child slowly float out of the light and out of the pages. In shock, he dropped the book as the light began to die out and the child tumbled onto the floor. There was a small moan as the child got up and looked around at the room. Turning around the child spotted Hakaba.

"...Are you my master?" The child asked.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Battle for Royale

* * *

The first thing that Hakaba realized was that the child was alive. The second thing he realized was that the child spoke. The last thing he realized was that the child spoke Japanese.

"What...are you?" Hakaba answered in Japanese.

"I am a Mamodo." The child answered, "Has the King's Festival started?"

"King's...Festival?" Hakaba answered, bewildered, "Mamodo?"

"I suppose I should explain." The child sighed.

"I am a demon. Every 1000 years, 100 demon are chosen from the Demon Realm and sent here to the human realm with a book. Here in the human realm we demons lose our power without a human partner. That is why we seek out human partners for the sake of the King's Festival, where we fight each other until only one is left. That Mamodo is then crowned the Mamodo King."

…

Hakaba blinked.

"Is this modern day Japan?" The child asked, "Everything certainly is different. Much lest dusty and much less dirt. Is this your room?"

Hakaba slowly turned his mind away from the child's explanation that only bought more questions than answers to what the child was now saying. And that's when another realization,

"Ajirogasa. Hakama. Kimono. What are you, a samurai?"

"Yep." The child grinned, "I am a real, genuine samurai. This sword is real too!"

"That's a real sword?!" Hakaba cried, turning to the sheathed sword that was about 2 sizes too big for the child."

"Of course. I'm a real samurai. And you are my lord."

"I'm...your lord?"

"Yep." The child said, picking up the locked book, "You read the words in this book. That means you are my human partner in the King's Festival."

Oh. We're coming back round to this again.

"Right. About this King's Festival-"

"You can count on me!" The child said confidently, "I fought alongside skilled samurai back in the previous King's Festival so I am super strong!"

"Wait." Hakaba blinked as he began to piece things together, "You said this festival only happens every 1000 years?"

"Yep."

"And you said you fought in one before?"

"Yep."

"And you're a samurai?"

"Yep."

"...What era was this festival in?"

"Era?"

"What year was it?"

"I fought for many years. Japan was in a state of great turmoil! My previous master sought to reunite all of Japan through war!"

"What year was it?"

"Err…1470...I think?"

"You're from the Sengoku Era."

"That was what we were calling it!" The child said, "I knew there was a name for it!"

"You're from the Sengoku Era." Hakaba repeated, "But...wait!"

"Hm?"

"There are gears on this book!" Hakaba said, snatching the book from the child, "They didn't have technology this advanced in the Sengoku Era!"

"No, the book came with me. So it's really a part of me."

"The book...is yours?"

"Yep." The child smiled, "My previous lord didn't understand it either. He called me a Karakuri Puppet."

"Karakuri?"

"Yep."

"...Hold on. Yes, Karakuri Puppets existed but they were in the 1600s. You're from the 1400s."

"No, I'm from the Mamodo World."

"You..."

"I'm a Mamodo." The child frowned, "I told you this before."

…

"What's wrong my lord? Do you have a stomachache?!"

"No, just..." Hakaba gasped as he stared at his wall, "taking this all in."

"I see."

* * *

"Okay. So you're a demon."

"Yep."

"In a war with other demons."

"Yep."

"In order to become King."

"Yep."

"..."

"I'm also a samurai!"

"From the Sengoku Era, right." Hakaba sighed, "...Well...what's your name?"

"My previous lord simply called me Karakuri."

"Karakuri?"

"Mmhm." The child nodded.

"..."

"You're free to call me Karakuri as well! Or you could just come up with another name."

"No." Hakaba sighed, "It's fine."

"What's your name, Milord?"

"It's Leo...Hakaba Haihara."

"Do you mind if I call you Hakaba?"

"It's fine."

"Hooray!"

"So...Karakuri..."

"Yes?!"

"...I suppose there's no way of getting you to leave is there?"

"L-leave?! B-But you're my lord and partner! We have to win the King's-"

"I'm a college student!" Hakaba cried, "I don't have time to deal with all this!"

"College?" Karakuri's head tilted, "What's college?"

"...It's kind of like school...but for adults."

"Ah. So it's like an apprenticeship!"

"No, that's completely dif-"

"That makes you a retainer! A samurai-in-training!"

"...No, I...I'm working on becoming a doctor."

"A medic!" Karakuri's eyes brightened, "An inglorious yet noble pursuit!"

"Inglorious?" Hakaba frowned.

"Indeed! Samurais win honor and glory on the battlefield but medics stay far away from that healing the wounded! It's a truly noble pursuit and one worthy of respect even if one cannot earn a reputation from it."

"..."

"This is splendid news!" Karakuri grinned, "At least I know that my new lord has a kind and caring heart!"

"...I have nothing of the sort."

"Huh?"

"Listen, I have things I have to do." Hakaba said as he got up, "So I don't have time to take part in your game."

"I-It's not a game!"

"And if you're not going to leave anytime soon." Hakaba continued sternly, "Then you should at least learn how to blend in."

"Blend in?"

"Yeah." Hakaba said as he went to his drawers, "Let's see...all my clothes are too big for you..."

"Ah, there is no need! These garments are proof of my status as a samurai! To wear anything else would be dishonorab-"

"Don't be ridiculous! Samurais don't exist in this era!"

"T-They don't?!" Karauri cried in surprised.

"No! Hold on, I accidentally shrunk these clothes in the dryer. Try them on."

"N-No!"

"You're not going out looking like that." Hakaba scowled.

"N-No! I-I am a proud samurai and I-"

"Samurais don't exist in this era!" Hakaba cried, "Now take off your damn clothes!"

"W-Wait! I-If I must then I'll do it myself!"

"These clothes are so uncomfortable." Karakuri sniffed.

"Deal with it." Hakaba scowled as he worked on his homework, "Your old clothes are severely outdated."

"Samurais are never outdated." Karakuri muttered.

"One more thing." Hakaba said, putting down his pen and turning around to face Karakuri, "You look like a child so be sure to tell anybody who asks that you're a child."

"I-I am not a child!"

"Well you look like one!"

"I fought in a war!"

"There is no war in this era so you're just a child!"

"But the festival-"

"I'm not doing that!"

"B-But..."

"All you need is somebody to read the book right?" Hakaba sighed, "Just find somebody else to do it."

"...I can't."

"What?"

"I can't." Karakuri sniffed, "There is only ever one human that can read our spellbooks."

"..."

"...If you won't fight then there's no helping it." Karakuri sighed, "But I've been asleep for so long inside my book so perhaps I may be permitted to remain in this new era for a while longer?"

"...That's fine."

"Thank you." Karakuri smiled.

* * *

The following weekend, Hakaba went out for groceries. Karakuri tagged along.

"Milord, look! Another mechanical bird!"

"That's a plane." Hakaba sighed as he slowly followed the enthusiastic Karakuri around town.

"There are so many mechanical karts with people in them!"

"Those are cars."

"These people don't seem to be moving..."

"That's a mannequin."

"Oh! Look a squirrel!"

"That's...well I guess that is a squirrel."

"Milord, can we go into this store next?"

Looking up, Hakaba noticed Karakuri looking into a rather familiar cafe.

"...I have other things I have to do."

"Like what?" Karakuri blinked.

"I have groceries to buy! And you're being really noisy!"

"Oh! Look a giant clock!"

Dong…Dong…

"It made a noise!"

Hakaba grumbled as he dragged Karakuri away from the antique store and to the supermarket.

* * *

Karakuri silently followed Hakaba around the store as he picked through the foodstuff. The Mamodo continued to peer this way and that, excitement abound but mouth occupied by a lollipop.

"They raised the price again." Hakaba sighed.

"Milord, this place seems odd." Karakuri spoke up, "The vendors are so far away from their merchandise."

"That's just how it is today."

"How peculiar. We must be on the look out for thieves. They must not be allowed to harm this fine establishment."

"They have security cameras for that."

"How would camera help?" Karakuri frowned, "Are they going to take a picture of the thief?"

"...Yeah sure. And then that picture gets passed to the police."

"The police! They're this era's samurais right?!"

"But they're so different from the samurais of old. I have walked through the streets rather loudly and I have yet to be stopped nor have I spotted a patrolling police. Back in the Sengoku Era we would patrol the streets of our city in order to ensure justice."

"They're called police officers." Hakaba corrected, "And they do patrol. They're in cars."

"They're in those steel carts?" Karakuri frowned, "We just walked. It would seem impertinent and prideful if we patrolled the streets in carts above the people."

"Like I care."

"..."

"Alright. That should be enough." Hakaba said as he turned to Karakuri, "Do you want anything while I'm here?"

"Can I get some fish?"

"You want fish?"

"Yellowtail fish specifically."

"...I'm not that good at cooking fish."

"It's okay, I'll just eat it raw."

"...What?"

* * *

Hakaba rubbed his eyes. There was so much homework. And after falling asleep in Biology, hr had to learn the previous lesson manually. Classes would resume the next day and he had no idea what he'd do with Karakuri yet.

"Why me?" Hakaba sighed.

…

Pushing under his textbooks, Hakaba pulled out the locked book. The lock was back on but now it simply popped open whenever he wanted. The display had also been set to return to the symbols for today's year rather that 1470. And inside there was still only the single word that he knew how to say for some reason.

Zekariki.

Turning around, Hakaba looked for Karakuri before he remember that the mamodo had gone back to the town today. With a sigh, Hakaba put away the book and was about to return to his studied before he heard a small rapping noise from near the entrance. Unsure of what he was hearing, it wasn't until he heard the rapping noise again that he got up to investigate. Making his way to the door, he pulled it open only for Karakuri to tumble-roll into the apartment.

"What are you doing?"

"Quiet!" Karakuri cried, getting up and quickly shutting the door.

"Wait...What happened to you?!" Hakaba cried as he noticed the clothes he had given the child are now rags of what they used to be, barely hanging on.

"I was attacked." Karakuri hissed, pressing against the door as if to listen outside.

"By what?!"

"An enemy."

"What enemy?!"

"An enemy mamodo!" Karakuri snapped, "He attacked me while I was in the town!"

"An...enemy mamodo?" Hakaba repeated stunned.

"Yes. And I'm not sure if he's going to attack us here so be careful."

"Wait then...what you were saying was...true?"

"Of course." Karakuri blinked, "What reason would I have to lie to you?"

Hakaba sat down for a moment as he took it in. A battle between children holding books? And one that could do so much damage as well? Taking a look at Karakuri again, he studied the remnants of what used to be his clothes. There were cuts and marks that didn't seem to come from any weapon he was familiar with. It was unsettling trying to imagine what could cause such damage. It was inhuman from what he could tell. Taking another look at Karakuri in general, he realized that despite all the injuries there were no signs of blood. They weren't just capable of creating such damage but these mamodo were capable of taking such damage.

"Where's the book?" Karakuri asked, snapping Hakaba out of his stupor.

"I-In my room."

"Go and grab it! Quickly!"

With a nod, Hakaba ran back to his room and pulled the locked book from under his textbooks again, sending everything on top of it on the ground.

"Let me see that." Karakuri said as Hakaba handed over the book for the child to flip through, "That's what I thought. No new spells."

"Spells?"

"We'll just have to make do with what we have." Hakaba said, placing the book on the ground and kneeling on top of it, "Quickly now. The spell."

"Huh?"

"Recite the spell!"

"Zekariki?"

"Do it with more emotion!"

"What kind of emotion do you want me to use?!" Hakaba scowled, "Argh, fine. Zekariki!"

The book began to glow again and the child quickly began to fall into the light until it faded and Karakuri was gone.

"...What just-"

Another knock came from the door, sharper and more authoritative. With a gulp, Hakaba closed the book and hid it in his backpack before he ran towards the door and opened it again.

* * *

 _"_ _Hello there."_ A young man smiled at him, _"I was wondering if you saw a child come by. I'm supposed to be taking care of him but he ran off."_

 _"..._ _A child?"_ Hakaba frowned, _"I'm afraid I haven't seen a child around."_

 _"_ _I see."_ The young man's smile faltered, _"I could've sworn he ran into your room for a moment. Do you mind if we have a look around?"_

 _"..._ _What reason do I have to let you in?"_

 _"_ _It would be ever so helpful. The child is a troublemaker and if he goes missing then I'll be in trouble as well."_

Hakaba gulped. The man was suspicious. Even without all this mamado business he was suspicious. He couldn't let the man in. If he was the one who attack Karakuri then there was no way...unless…

 _"_ _That's fine."_ Hakaba shrugged, _"I was busy studying so if you could make this quick."_

" _It's much appreciated."_ The man's smile returned as Hakaba let him in.

As he came in, a small child followed him. Hakaba felt himself break into a cold sweat as his suspicions were realized.

 _"_ _What's with the kid?"_ He asked as casually as possible as he closed the door.

 _"_ _Oh, he's the brother of the kid I'm looking for."_ The man said candidly, _"They were playing until I guess they got into a fight and his brother ran off."_

 _"_ _I see..."_

 _"_ _Hmm..."_ The man looked around carefully as he walked into Hakaba's room, _"...Quite a lot of books you have here."_

 _"_ _They're mostly textbooks."_ Hakaba replied, trying not to look towards his bookbag.

 _"_ _You seem to be quite messy."_ The man said as he picked up one of the textbooks that fell to the floor earlier.

 _"_ _I just knocked them over accidentally when I went to answer the door."_ Hakaba said, crossing his arms sternly, _"I thought you were looking for a kid."_

 _"_ _Oh. My apologies."_ The man said as he placed the book back on his desk, _"I can't help but be curious about other people. If you don't mind me asking, what are you studying for?"_

 _"I want to become a doctor."_

 _"How admirable."_ The man raised his eyebrows, _"It's not easy being a doctor. I wish you the best of luck."_

 _"Thanks but I really need to return to studying so if you're done here."_

 _"Yes. I suppose we are."_ The man sighed, _"Come Laputa."_

The child nodded as he followed the man back to the door and left.

* * *

Locking the door behind them, Hakaba stood there for a tense moment to see if they would try something else. After a few seconds, Hakaba ran back to his room and pulled out the locked book, flipping over to the spell and was about to recite it when he was interrupted by a voice.

"Don't."

"Karakuri?" Hakaba frowned as the mamodo's voice echoed in his head, "What happened?"

"They were the ones who attacked me."

"I know that but where are you?"

"In the book."

"The book?"

"Yes. It might be best if I hide out for a little while so don't recite the spell for now."

"Karakuri, what's going on?"

"I told you already. Don't you listen?"

"Well tell me it again in greater detail!"

"...Alright..."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Attacked

* * *

Hakaba tried to pay attention in the biology lesson the next day but to his utter frustration he couldn't. He wasn't asleep though he did have trouble sleeping that night and he was tired enough. But the conversation he had last night kept wandering through his mind, refusing to give him any peace.

"...and every 1000 years the King's Festival takes place again. Our books are scattered into the human realm and we begin looking for partners before we begin hunting each other."

"Why humans?" Hakaba frowned, "Why have a partner?"

"In this world, we mamodos only have power when we're partnered. This link is represented by our book. The human pours their emotion into the spells that we mamodo preform."

"And what happens when the book is destroyed?"

"...We disappear."

Hakaba froze, "You...disappear?"

"Yes."

"You mean you die?"

"Essentially. The only one capable of reviving the mamodos that disappear is the Mamodo King."

"..."

* * *

…

 _"..._ _Leon!"_

Hakaba jolted as his name was called out again, _"Y-Yes?"_

 _"_ _Are you okay?"_

 _"Y-Yeah. I'm fine."_

 _"If you're not going to pay attention then you're free to leave."_

 _"No, I...I'm fine."_

 _"Alright then. Now can anybody tell me the answer to-"_

Hakaba frowned as he picked up his biology textbook and tried to concentrate. He couldn't afford to let his grades slip now.

"Hey."

"No talking until lunch." Hakaba muttered as Karakuri's voice spoke to him.

"...Yes sir."

* * *

Biology ended and after it, History. During the break between classes, Hakaba walked to the school's sports field and sneaked into an equipment shed. Barring the door with a broom, Hakaba sighed as he sad down on top of a box of equipment and pulled out the book.

"Want to come out?"

"No, not yet." Karakuri answered.

"Do you sense the one who attacked you nearby or something?"

"I...I don't have that kind of power."

"That figures." Hakaba sighed.

"...Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"I'm not sure what kind of language Japan has adopted over the years but why do you answer whenever people call you 'Leon'?"

"...You think we're still in Japan?"

"W-We're not?!"

"No. This is America."

"America...I heard of that place."

"I moved here from Japan to learn medicine." Hakaba explained, "Everybody here speaks English."

"So 'Leon' is your English name?"

"Yeah. I would stick out like a sore thumb if I kept referring to myself as Hakaba Haihara. My full English name is Leon Ashfield."

"Why Leon?"

"I read it in a book and like it. Or was it a movie?"

"...Why don't you use your Japanese name?"

"Because nobody here speaks Japanese, idiot."

"...Right..."

"...How long are we going to have to keep hiding?" Hakaba asked

"Huh?"

"How long are we going to have to live wondering when our enemy is going to attack us?"

"...The festival doesn't end until there's only one left. Even if we defeat the one hunting us now, there'll be more we will eventually have to fight."

"What kind of sick Battle Royale is this?" Hakaba scowled.

"..."

"I don't have time to do battle all the time. Can you at least defeat the ones chasing us?"

"...Unfortunately we have yet to obtain an offensive spell."

"Well how do we obtain one?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?!"

"I mean that spells only appear when they want to! I can't force it and neither can you!"

"But we don't have a single offensive spell, how are we supposed to win?!"

"Well...we don't need a spell to burn the book."

"You mean we can get rid of them without a spell?" Hakaba blinked.

"It's nearly suicidal but possible." Karakuri responded, "If we can set their book on fire with a torch or something then we win. The problem is getting through the spells that the mamodo will throw at us. One slip up and we're dead."

"..."

"This war was meant to be fought with spells. The longer this festival drags on, the less mamodo there will be. The ones that remain will be stronger than the one we face now. They will have more spells and it will be all but impossible to attempt to burn their book without fighting."

"...Impossible." Hakaba bit his lip, "We don't have any spells and we'd die long before we get the opportunity to burn their book."

"I think you can do it."

"Huh?"

"I think you can win." Karakuri said happily, "You remind me of one my previous lord's vassals. He was a really fragile-looking man with glasses and cape. He couldn't hold a sword but he was my lord's trusted tactician. He came up with plan after plan that would always throw the enemy off allowing my lord to gain the upper hand and win!"

"...So you're saying I should come up with a plan?"

"My lord was never really that good at coming up with plans."

"How'd your lord ever open the lock on this book then?"

"He didn't. He read my name on the title."

"Your name?!" Hakaba cried, "I didn't see a name on the book!"

"It's there. He read it and the lock popped open."

"Where is it?" Hakaba said, running his eyes over the cover repeatedly.

"If you can't read it or find it, you won't do it now."

"B-But I can read the spell just fine!"

"You can't read everything written in the book. Only what the book allows you to read."

"There's nothing else written in the book!"

"Again, the spells will appear when we're ready."

Hakaba fumed as he glared at the muddle of symbols on the cover.

"...Wait...then does that mean Karakuri isn't your actual name?!"

"My lord gave me that name so I proudly wear it."

"He didn't call you by your actual name?!"

"No. He always referred to me as 'Karakuri' so I adopted it."

"So what's your actual name?"

"..."

"...Hey."

"You'll know when you're ready."

"What?! Just tell me your name!"

"You can call me 'Karakuri'!"

"That's not your name!"

"My previous lord gave it to me! I won't have you insulting it!"

* * *

Hakaba sighed as he walked towards his next class. Every time he thought he knew everything, something new would pop up. And now he needed a plan to set fire to a book. He tried to think of a plan but all he could think of seemed overly simple, including sneaking up behind him and setting it on fire. He needed more information. For starters he needed to find his enemy first.

 _"_ _Oh. Sorry."_ Hakaba said as he accidentally bumped into someone.

 _"It's fine. Oh. It's you."_

Hakaba's blood froze as he recognized the man from yesterday. The one with the child. The one Karakuri had called their enemy.

 _"_ _So you studied at my school. What a coincidence."_ The man smiled.

 _"_ _Y-Yeah."_ Hakaba said.

Judging from his ID, the man was a teacher. The lab coat the ID was attached to seemed to imply that the man was in the science division. And tucked under one of his arms was a blue book with familiar symbols. Although his didn't seem to have any sort of lock on it.

 _"_ _D-Did you find the child you were looking for?"_ Hakaba asked.

 _"Oh. Yes."_ The man's smile didn't waver, _"I found him so everything is fine."_

 _"T-That's good."_

He couldn't see the child anywhere around so maybe he can't attack? Either way, it was an opportunity like no other to try and burn their book. But Hakaba didn't have any thing that could set anything on fire. It was dangerous enough to be standing here and talking.

 _"W-Well. I have to get to my next class."_ Hakaba bowed as he turned and began to walk off.

…

"Telekeru."

* * *

Hakaba cried out as the ground underneath him broke and crumpled and he fell to the floor below.

Hakaba clutched his bookbag, protecting the locked book as best he can amidst the waves of pain. As he crawled up, he didn't think he had broken any bones.

"Be careful." The man's voice called down to him, "Just between you and me, I hear the school received a bomb threat today."

Hakaba gasped as he looked up and saw the enemy mamodo standing in front of him. Fear gripped his being as he scrambled up and ran away.

"Telekeru."

Turning around, Hakaba saw a desk from a nearby classroom float through a window and at the mamodo's gesture, send it flying towards him.

Hakaba cried out in pain as the desk smashed into his back, sending him sprawling on the floor gasping for breath between gasps of pain.

 _"Are you sure he has the book?"_ The mamodo asked as his human partner floated down through the hole.

 _"Look at how he's clutching his bookbag so tightly. He definitely has it."_

 _"Then let's get this over already. I don't like the idea of torturing this human."_

The man chuckled as he opened the book again. Panicking again, Hakaba found the courage to pick himself up and run around a corner before they could attack.

Down the hallway he ran, dodging people until he reached some stairs. Glancing behind him, he checked just in time to avoid something being thrown at him by ducking.

 _"Are you sure all this destruction is okay?"_ The mamodo asked.

 _"We'll just say it was due to the bombs."_ The man said.

 _"What if the story doesn't match up?"_

 _"Then we'll destroy more things until it does match up."_

A sliver of horror ran through him as Hakaba turned to continue running. But as he turned around, he saw the thing that was thrown at him. It was a ball of the people he had just passed by. Blood leaked out and limbs were arranged in peculiar order but a chorus of moans told Hakaba that they were still alive. Taking a gulp, Hakaba valuted over the railings to the stairs below and began his descent.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Karakuri asked.

"I don't know." Hakaba gasped as he ran down the stairs.

"We can't go to the city! The people would get involved!"

Hakaba recalled the ball of classmates and pushed down the urge to vomit, "I know, I know!"

"Do you know where we can hide?"

"I'm thinking!"

Hakaba burst through the door and caught his breath as the people around him looked at him weirdly. As he rested, the elevator next to him dinged and the doors opened. The man and the mamodo walked out.

 _"Hello."_ The man smiled.

Hakaba swallowed a scream as he ran away.

"Telekeru."

Hakaba cried out in pain again as a wet floor warning sign smashed into his sides. He stumbled but managed to grab onto the handle of the door leading outside and with a grunt, he pushed through and ran out.

* * *

He wasn't sure where he was running to but he needed someplace without any objects. If his mind was working correctly throughout all this stress, it would seem like the enemy has telekinetic powers. And judging from the fact that they haven't tried to grab him with those telekinetic powers it would seem like they don't work on him.

"How despicably convenient." he muttered.

His running took him to the sports field. It was wide open with very little things to grab and even if he managed to get a hold on something there was enough space to dodge with ease. At least that was the plan. When Hakaba got there, the track team was on the field. People and hurtles littered the field, ripe for throwing.

"Telekeru."

Hakaba dodged to the ground as the mangled remains of a spectator bench flew into the field, crashing to a few students.

"We can't stay here!" Karakuri screamed in his head, "He'll hurt them!"

Looking at the students that had fallen over and the students crushed under the bench, Hakaba choked as he watched them bleed out as well before he turned and ran off.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Fighting

* * *

A few minutes ago, he was inside the storage shed talking to Karakuri. Now he was outside it, running for his life before a rock smashed into hid back, knocking him down for what seemed to be for good.

 _"You're a fast one."_ The man smiled as he and his mamodo walked up to him, _"Where's your partner?"_

 _"...He's not here."_ Hakaba answered as he gasped in pain.

 _"Did he run away?"_ The man snickered, _"Not that it matters. So long as we destroy the book, he'll disappear all the same."_

 _"And if I don't have the book?"_

 _"Crushing you would mean that your partner can't cast any spells."_ The mamodo answered, _"He's powerless without a human partner anyway."_

 _"It's a win-win for us!"_

Hakaba swallowed as the man laughed.

"Let me out!" Karakuri screamed, "I'll hold him off for you to escape!"

"You're hurt." Hakaba muttered.

"I can handle him better than you can!"

"He'll kill you."

"I won't die! I'll be back! I promise!"

 _"Let's finish this."_ The man sneered as he opened his book.

"If you don't, we'll both die!"

"Telekeru."

Hakaba sat up as the mamodo ripped a tree from the ground and prepared to throw it at him. Numbly, he took out the book and opened it as the mamodo threw it at him.

"Zekariki!"

* * *

 _"There you are."_ The man sneered as Karakuri caught the tree.

 _"You're a tricky one."_ The mamodo said as Karakuri threw away the tree, _"I never imagined you'd have a spell to hide yourself in your book."_

"Hey..." Karakuri gasped, "I don't know what they're saying."

"Oh. So you speak Japanese." The man blinked as he fluidly switched to Japanese, "How convenient."

"Y-You're Japanese too?" Hakaba asked.

"No. I just took a few classes."

"Look at you." The mamodo said, "You're still wearing those rags of clothing from yesterday. Just surrender your book and make it easy for both of us."

"No!" Karakuri cried, "Never give up, Never surrender! I...I am a samurai!"

"How antiquated." The man sneered, "We'll finish you off quickly. Telekeru."

The tree that they uprooted began to float again as it smashed into Karakuri again, sending the child flying into the air.

"Karakuri!" Hakaba cried as he scrambled up to catch his partner.

"Pitiful." The mamodo sighed as Hakaba held Karakuri to his chest.

"Sorry." Hakaba sobbed.

"It's fine." Hakaba as calmly as he could, "We're going to get out of here."

"Telekeru."

Hakaba's eyes widened as the tree floated up again and flew towards them. Karakuri broke out of his arms and ran forward, blocking the tree but was sent flying even father back, tumbling across the ground.

"Karakuri!"

"I'm getting tired of this." The mamodo sighed, "Let's finish this with a bigger spell already."

"Fine, fine."

"Damn." Hakaba bit his lip as he opened his book again, desperately searching for a spell.

"Sorry." Karakuri sobbed on the ground behind him, "I can't do anything."

"It's not your fault." Hakaba gasped as his mind raced for any possible solution.

"If I wasn't here!" Karakuri cried, "If I wasn't here, then you wouldn't be hurt!"

"Telekeruga!"

The tree floated up again and a few more trees and stones were torn from the ground to accompany it into a sizeable ball of mass. With a flick of his hand, the ball was thrown at them.

* * *

Hakaba tumbled into the ground next to Karakuri.

"Did we get the book?" The man asked.

"No." The mamodo scowled.

"Why?" Karakuri sobbed.

Hakaba could answer very well after running in front of their attack and taking it head on. He tried to cough out an answer but all that came out was blood.

"I'm getting tired of this." The man sighed.

"I've been saying that since the beginning." His mamodo snapped, "Put some more effort into the next spell and we'll be done already!"

"Alright, no need to yell." The man scowled.

Karakuri got up and stood in front of Hakaba, arms open.

"I won't let you harm milord."

"Man this kid is really deluded." The man snickered, "He really thinks he's a samurai."

"Karakuri." Hakba croaked.

"Sorry." Karakuri shivered.

"Just finish them." The mamodo scowled.

"Got it."

"If only." Karakuri shuddered as the ball of earth they threw floated up again, "If I had a sword. If I only had a single sword!"

Hakaba placed his hand on the child's shoulder.

"Stop apologizing."

"Milord?"

"I decided. Just now." Hakaba said as he stood next to his mamodo, "That I'm going to fight with you."

At his words, the book began to shine.

"Telekeruga!"

* * *

…

"...This is getting complicated." The mamodo scowled.

Karakuri stood in front of them. The ball of earth laid behind them, lying in halves. A sturdy steel sword jutted from his hand. Hakaba stared at his book. There was a new word in the book. One that he said without even knowing it was there.

"Zesoru." He repeated.

"What? Is that it?" The man frowned, "His arm turned into a sword."

"Don't get cocky!" The mamodo scowled, "Finish him with out strongest spell! Now!"

"This is getting to be a tiring task." The man sighed.

"Their strongest spell?!" Hakaba cried.

"Telekeru Ranzurusen!"

The storage shed creaked as it's roof burst open. All the equipment floated up and came together, forming the shape of a giant lance aimed right at Karakuri.

"T-That's ridiculous!" Hakaba cried, "We can't dodge that!"

"It's okay." Karakuri said, oddly calm, "We'll be fine."

"How can you say that?! We just got one spell! And all it does is give you a sword!"

"One sword is enough."

"It's over!" The mamodo cried as he threw the lance.

"Iroha Order." Karakuri said, taking a stance, "First Line: I."

* * *

Hakaba could only stare as sports equipment began to fall from the sky. The lance had completely fallen apart after Karakuri leaped towards it, sword flashing through the air. Completely stopped, the lance was already falling apart.

"D...Did he just cut the lance apart?!" The man cried.

"T-That's ridiculous!" The mamodo cried, "That was our strongest spell!"

Karakuri landed on the ground as the rest of the lance crashed into the ground.

"Iroha Order." Karakuri said, pointing the sword at the pair, "First Line."

"Shit! Quickly, call out a spell!"

"W-What spell, he cut down our strongest spell!"

"Any spell! Just do it!"

"T-Telekeru!"

The mamodo ripped up another tree and set it in front of them.

"I."

Karakuri charged and brought down the sword, slicing the tree right in two. The pair could only stare with gapping jaws of shock as their defense was cut down so easily. With a backswing, Karakuri slashed into the mamodo, throwing him aside and leaving the human wide open. As Karakuri drew back the sword, the man put up his arms in defense. And with a final jab the sword pierced their book.

* * *

"Laputa!"

"No!"

The man dropped the book as it began to catch on fire. The mamodo ran up to try to put out the flame but it didn't stop as the child slowly began to disappear.

Karakuri began to breath a sigh of relief as the sword slid back into the arm.

"I...I can't die here." The mamodo sobbed, "I was…I was supposed to be...kin-"

"Laputa!" The man cried out once more as his partner disappeared completely.

Hakaba gulped. It was the first time he saw a mamodo disappear and it was unsettling. He could only be glad that it wasn't Karakuri.

"My power...my beautiful destruction..." The man said, stunned, "I was supposed to take all I wanted with that power."

"Do not overstep your boundaries." Karakuri said, "That power was not solely yours. And no power wielded for evil purposes lives long."

Then before the man could respond, Karakuri punched him in the jaw, knocking him out.

"That was for all the people you hurt."

* * *

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Karakuri grinned as they arrived home, "I'm feeling better than ever now that we finally have a new spell!"

"Zesoru...a spell that grants you a sword." Hakaba mused, "It's a bit underwhelming."

"It's not in what you get, it's how you use it!"

"Can't you do anything special like that telekinesis that the mamodo had?"

"D-Don't be picky!" Karakuri frowned, "Besides, we won didn't we?!"

"I guess." Hakaba sighed, "I guess we should celebrate."

"Yeah!"

"But first we should get you into new clothes." Hakaba said as he walked to his drawers.

"Oh. Yeah."

"I don't have any other clothes for you so we'll just have to make do with your old samurai clothes."

"Hooray!"

"Alright, come here."

"Huh?"

"We're changing your clothes."

"I-I can do it by myself."

"Have you seen yourself. We both need baths asap."

"T-Then you go first, I'll come after!"

"What's with you?" Hakaba frowned.

"W-What do you mean?"

"Come on in already." Hakaba sighed, dragging Karakuri to the bathroom, "I'm exhausted."

"Noooo! I'll become unfit to be a bride!"

Hakaba stopped, "...Bride?"

"The only man who can see me naked is my future husband!"

"Hold on." Hakaba said, kneeling down to look Karakuri in the eyes, "Are you saying that you're-"

"A girl." Karakuri blinked.

"..."

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No, it ain't obvious! Do you know how billowy your samurai clothes are?!" Hakaba cried as he shook Karakuri violently.

"B-But what about my feminine face?!"

"You look just as likely to be a boy if not more so!"

"B-But my feminine body..."

"You mean the body that I'm not allowed to see?! The one behind these billowy robes?!"

"I-I'm a pure hearted maiden!" Karakuri cried, "A Yamato Nadeshiko in training!"

"What woman was allowed to be a samurai in the Sengoku Era?!"

"I was a boy back then!"

"You...what?"

"I was a boy." Karakuri sniffed.

"...How..."

"I'm a Karakuri Puppet. My body is mechanical. I was in a male body in the Sengoku Era but it was destroyed so when I went to sleep for the next King's Festival I switched to my female body."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Hakaba smashed his head against the wall.

"A-Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Hakaba said as he held his head in his hands, "Anything else I need to know about you?"

"Ummm...about what exactly?"

"Nothing." Hakaba moaned, "Fine, you go in first."

"T-Thank you!" Karakuri smiled as she picked up her clothes, "You're quite similar to my former lord you know."

"What?"

"My former lord also mistook me for a girl when I was in my male body."

"Then design your bodies better goddammit!"


End file.
